tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695468002730314332023-12-28T17:41:06.185-05:00The Real Deal BrazilThe Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-69933540532230736992015-02-10T09:10:00.000-05:002015-02-11T07:35:01.560-05:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bogani
yelled out out the window in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans" target="_blank">Afrikaans</a>, " Dit is
vir my , Bogani. Dit is die Amerikaanse ek jou vertel het nie ... moenie
skiet." I speak a little of the language, enough to recognize, "don't
shoot". The mood quickly eased and the gentlemen lowered their weapons and
approached our vehicle. I looked at Bogani and he gave me a wry smile. By now
our vehicle had curious faces looking in on me. One of them identified himself
in thick English as, Luc. "So, you are the American we have heard so much
about?" I didn't bat an eye, but my mind was racing...how much had Alu
opened his mouth? "Why do you want to go there?" Luc asked. "A
minor loose end I'd like to resolve", I lied. "Hmmm, cost
you...". It always does. I pulled out my <a href="http://realdealbrazil.com/detail.php?id=TRDTFW" target="_blank">wallet</a>, hoping what I had there would
satisfy them as I was anxious to get moving again, the sweat starting to run
from my forehead. A quick hand reached in and snatched the wallet. My new guide
took it all and tossed the wallet back in as he turned to walk away.
"Hey...I got the better deal" I said, holding up my wallet. He tossed
a fifty dollar bill back in and laughed, "You are funny, my American
friend". I breathed a sigh, knowing my main cash supply was still safely
tucked away. In an instant, we were all back on the road, still heading West. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-11232001668694422272015-01-28T09:50:00.000-05:002015-01-28T10:01:51.314-05:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My internal compass told me we had made a turn to the West, even if my driver didn't tell me. I cracked my left eye open - the one away from Bogani - we definitely weren't headed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmesbury,_Western_Cape" target="_blank">Malesbury</a>. The flatlands were covered with low, dry vegetation with mighty hills in the distance. I'd been in this type of situation before and knew I could handle myself. That was, until the vehicle came to a screeching stop as 3 trucks raced onto the road from behind the brush to stop us. As assortment of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vz._58" target="_blank">vz. 58</a>'s made their appearance as a motley group of "gentlemen" exited the trucks. Things had just taken an interesting turn... </span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-91261033317119096832015-01-13T12:00:00.001-05:002015-01-13T12:01:03.106-05:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The plane touched down in Cape Town and I chuckled to myself, Alu had thought of everything. I exited near a logistics building rather than the main terminal. Fewer questions that way. A stout young man introduced himself as Bongani and ushered me through a chain link fence gate and towards an old <a href="http://www.landrovercentre.com/image/roadrover4.jpg" target="_blank">Range Rover</a>...a '67 I guessed. My bags, hastily packed back home were brought up and unceremoniously dumped in the back of the vehicle. I didn't expect anything different. He told me our trip was about 59 klicks north as we started out on the M7. I was excited, but needed to get some shuteye. Bongani wasn't much company as he idly hummed a tune called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarie_Marais" target="_blank">Sarie_Marais</a>. I pulled my <a href="http://www.landrovercentre.com/image/roadrover4.jpg" target="_blank">Ball Cap</a> down over my eyes dozed lightly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-86437736675393247622015-01-06T11:52:00.000-05:002015-01-06T15:02:07.125-05:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The phone rang. It was 3am. A raspy voice on the other end that I immediately recognized as Alu, a South African scout I've known for some 20-odd years tells me to get there as soon as I can. I bolted up in bed, my head swimming..."He's found it!", my brain exclaimed. "Gimme 24 hours, maybe a little less", I told him, "People owe me a few favors". I hung up, wasted no time in grabbing a few essentials. Now, somewhere nearing the Equator I have a few minutes to write...my trusty<a href="http://realdealbrazil.com/detail.php?id=TRDBB" target="_blank"> Belem</a> backpack at my feet and my eyes staring out towards what will be Cape Town and touch down...</span><br />
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-55384224655319048922014-12-30T16:02:00.001-05:002014-12-30T16:05:50.909-05:00Where have we been?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, we'd love to share the details with you...but right now, they are still considered *Classified*.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We can tell you that it involved this <a href="http://realdealbrazil.com/detail.php?id=TRDDB" target="_blank">bad boy</a>...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ...lots of fast talking, the exchange of currency and a long wait in a small airport hanger that smelled of cigar smoke, perspiration and bad attitudes. Relatively unscathed, a plane touched down on American soil and a much needed decompression period began. Welcome Home. </span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-78798822856151071002014-04-01T14:42:00.001-04:002014-04-02T09:24:50.994-04:00We're at it again! New stuff! New stuff!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In case you stumble on this entry days after it was originally posted, please take a look at the day it was published before reading any further. Then remember that date should you start asking yourself if we really mean any of this ...</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, you read that right: New RDB stuff! Two new products, as daring as anything we've yet dared!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
When we introduced our Real Deal Brazil Cuba Libre hat a few
months back, followed quickly by our beefy Rio Branco Rucksack, the response to
both was even stronger than we'd anticipated (as anyone who got that unfortunate
"Item temporarily on backorder" notice when they went to buy one
already knows all too well). Which is to say we promptly ran out of both
products, and then had to wait on reorders from our sewing team in Brazil! Then,
once we got our stock back up, and sales continued to be strong on both items,
we started thinking we'd like to try a few more new-item experiments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
That said, it's crazy some of the suggestions we've gotten these
last few years, for products we should start making. Most involve clothing
items:
duster- and bomber-style
jackets, jean-style pants, shirts, vests, even chaps! The
problem we run into in all those cases is money, plain and simple: High tarp
costs, combined with international shipping fees and all the additional sewing
time and resources that would be required of these labor-intensive items, would
mean huge up-front expenses that would then translate into what we feel would
be exorbitant prices for the finished goods. We're simply not comfortable
asking that of our customers. So we've steered clear of making any clothing …
until now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because it recently struck us: We could fashion a few <i>personal</i> clothes items for those folks
who really want to take the Real Deal lifestyle to its fullest extreme, items
that would not actually require a great amount of tarp, would involve minimal sewing
time and would weigh very little when it came to shipping. Items we could therefore
keep relatively inexpensive when it was all said and done!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Items, as it turns out, for the Real Deal boudoir!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
So, while we haven't yet established prices on our two
as-yet-potential RDB offerings, we have gotten some mockups done, and just
shipped to us from Brazil, to share with you, to gauge customer interest before
we officially incorporate these products into our lineup. So, Real Deal nation,
we present to you our newest planned additions: the <b>Real Deal Brazil
Recycled-Tarp Sumo Diaper</b><i> </i>(first picture, below), and the <b>Real Deal Brazil Recycled-Tarp Battle Thong</b> (second picture, below)!
The same rugged heavy-canvas material you expect, with patches, fraying, shifting
tarp colors, ink marks, the whole nine (or, more likely, a few inches less, if
we're to be realistic here). That same proud Real Deal spirit of balls-out
individuality (OK, not balls <i>out</i>, but
possibly involving some real <i>cajones</i>,
regardless).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJozIWdIj2T16wR7Tx3cpF9rABv8tHVhhwQa73HdvCpzHt-gtMimpEQyJJb5pQzmGwpfwLy6ZXfbvZtrpXQeqBSR8oxzQSRp7wbgZC3lsxr1UKXBjEAjJFuUrqfXUJFGTwhMcV-xjTRrNU/s1600/Real+Deal+Sumo+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJozIWdIj2T16wR7Tx3cpF9rABv8tHVhhwQa73HdvCpzHt-gtMimpEQyJJb5pQzmGwpfwLy6ZXfbvZtrpXQeqBSR8oxzQSRp7wbgZC3lsxr1UKXBjEAjJFuUrqfXUJFGTwhMcV-xjTRrNU/s1600/Real+Deal+Sumo+copy.png" height="400" width="303" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We would, of course, be offering each of these in several
sizes. We ask only that you would then be realistic in ordering, particularly
you male customers, cuz there won't be much we can do with these if you return
them should they not, y'know, fit. Seriously. That's just gross to even think
about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, we couldn't get a single person here to model
either of these new items in the way they're meant to be worn, so we were
forced, in the case of the Sumo Diaper, to create a simple graphic representation, since that item doesn't
really look like much all by itself. The point is, it takes a big personality
to pull this off, and if there's one thing our fans have, it's personality, for
days!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Battle Thong pictured here is the actual item. Our RDB designer's
kind of a geek, but once we saw the finished product, we thought the Star Wars
rebel insignia was an inspired touch (until Disney shows up to tell us
differently, of course). We told our designer he needed to model it for us; he
told us to go to hell. Some rebel he turned out to be.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaXta97hzAunuDG9LvtA9WxK9Tq53gaaDTOsufIuzW5JG4kYO0oz5nIeayx1mF22DtW934nVmkJgtw3KeSnbepLOkw7jZ0IlqAqmxB6fSKXUmujFlZhForzeq1DZdiUFfqnl7wn2PUe3P/s1600/20140401_083909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaXta97hzAunuDG9LvtA9WxK9Tq53gaaDTOsufIuzW5JG4kYO0oz5nIeayx1mF22DtW934nVmkJgtw3KeSnbepLOkw7jZ0IlqAqmxB6fSKXUmujFlZhForzeq1DZdiUFfqnl7wn2PUe3P/s1600/20140401_083909.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Frank: "Not just no. HELL no!"</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We even tried our PR Guy, Frank, who's usually so lacking in
good sense that he'll do anything we ask. But even he drew the line on stripping
down and Real Dealing up, falling back on the fact that we don't even pay him. Of
course, that all may be a very lucky thing, in afterthought: We're not sure the
world is ready for so much of him suddenly so very visible. We honestly shudder
to think of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So let us know what you think! And if we add these two
items, and you one day buy either or both for yourself, you really don't need
to send us pictures, at least not if you look anything like Frank. Seriously. Please don't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-82674450088491294522013-08-27T09:42:00.001-04:002013-08-27T10:22:43.330-04:00Sometimes, It Can Really Get a Bit Too Real ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mlmPRX3sUglbG_HuYfiP7PrdCKcjaPB0CtZeTwqTrj_Pzry9rVYt3YqB7erpS9rK5zihJB9Uuh3lw3BN0drdeNd6ASya-AzdEnA0QRoupx-uLoZUgNXpNqjhWTsKM7MLEdThKmW0Ins5/s1600/IMG_20130714_202310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mlmPRX3sUglbG_HuYfiP7PrdCKcjaPB0CtZeTwqTrj_Pzry9rVYt3YqB7erpS9rK5zihJB9Uuh3lw3BN0drdeNd6ASya-AzdEnA0QRoupx-uLoZUgNXpNqjhWTsKM7MLEdThKmW0Ins5/s400/IMG_20130714_202310.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s easy to understand people thinking the story we tell of how and where our tarp products are made is embellished, or exaggerated. Great PR, yada, yada, yada, but hardly real, no matter what our name might suggest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But nope. It’s all real, all right. And sometimes, like right now, even a bit <i>too</i> real. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Right around two weeks ago, our pending shipment of hats and several bag styles had begun its journey out of the remote little equatorial town where Real Deal Brazil products are handmade. Our stuff was crammed onto a little bus that typically leaves town about every two weeks to take local craftspeople and traders to a bustling Friday-night market in one of the big cities along Brazil’s booming coast. And when we have hat orders leaving the town, the bus carries those, too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By about 5 a.m. on the day in question, the small bus, with its total of 10 passengers, had already traveled about 30 miles out of town, along terrible roads. And then things went all to hell.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bandits. Real live ones. Four of them. With guns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Their car, coming </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">seemingly from out of nowhere, </span></span>pulled up alongside the bus, the armed men yelling at the driver to stop. Instead, the young driver, an off-duty policeman, sped up in an attempt to outrun his pursuers. At least one of the bandits began firing at the bus, and after a couple shotgun blasts hit a side door, the driver pulled over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The thieves beat the young man severely, in front of his mother, who was a passenger on the bus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a frantic note, Sharon A., who helps coordinate transport for us in Brazil, filled in some of the blanks for us on what happened next. Her English is pretty solid, but not perfect.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The driver's mother was terrified because her son is a policeman who makes these trips on his day off,” Sharon writes, “and if the thieves discovered [that he was a policeman, they would likely have killed] the boy, it is common this happens.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The gunmen next forced the wounded driver to maneuver the little bus to a nearby gravel road where they again pulled the bus over, this time into the woods. Another car, with another gunman, was waiting for them there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Then,” Sharon writes us, “they began to torture and steal everything of the people with threats of death if they did not give everything they had.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The thieves yanked open a number of the Real Deal Brazil shipping boxes, stealing what hats and bags they could carry off in their cars, and leaving many of our products strewn in the sand. They also took passengers’ cell phones, wallets, purses, credit cards, personal documents and luggage, plus some other products being transported to the market for sale or barter. Sharon puts the total value of stolen items at 50,000 real (the Brazilian currency), or roughly $20,000.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Keep in mind that in this remote part of Brazil, most people are barely making a living. This was surely a devastating loss. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“After the raid, they arrested all people inside the van and took the key,” Sharon writes, meaning the gunmen locked everyone inside the van and then left them there. Fortunately, the driver’s mother had a spare key tucked in her clothes, and after the passengers had waited a few hours to make sure their assailants weren’t coming back, the frightened group ventured back out onto the road, seeking help. They didn’t ever find any.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The police is on strike in their State,” Sharon writes, “and everything [there] is slow and difficult.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since day one of getting into this business, we’d heard how unsafe the roads in that part of the country can be, and that bandits were out there, and something like this could always happen, at any time. But in the more than five years we've been doing this, it never had. And after a while, we perhaps stopped thinking it ever would.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s a horrible reminder for us of the kinds of problems that can spring up out of nowhere in getting our products from Brazil to you, made better in this case only in that no one got irreparably hurt, at least not physically. It’s shaken us all up a bit, as you’d guess. And it leaves our current Brazilian transport setup in a very uncertain position at the moment.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So if you buy a Real Deal Brazil hat or bag in the next week or two and discover a little sand in it, consider it perhaps a kind of trophy, showing that your new RDB product has lived an even more exciting life than our products usually do.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beyond that, we thank you for your patience if we're again temporarily out of stock on what you were hoping to buy.</span></span><br />
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-42472348619596934512013-07-31T11:46:00.001-04:002013-07-31T11:56:30.561-04:00Tales of Real Deal Brazil hats lost, and found<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6cS9ipCne7K9V8iAiaYm9t38FSWc3XAGimWlRRRq3fG0GnD1s-BgsOkVxuJJro0NcAC7xUaxzq19KBkj040m0xfa-B4eiCuwh7evECxhC9BkvQZqssoSzvxNBemxjAyh_TFZ4T789gMd/s1600/20130731_105657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6cS9ipCne7K9V8iAiaYm9t38FSWc3XAGimWlRRRq3fG0GnD1s-BgsOkVxuJJro0NcAC7xUaxzq19KBkj040m0xfa-B4eiCuwh7evECxhC9BkvQZqssoSzvxNBemxjAyh_TFZ4T789gMd/s320/20130731_105657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our hat winds up in some pretty surprising places, no question.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's the story of this guy, Shawn, from Kiowa, Kan., whose father gave him a Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat after Dad fished the then-new RDB out of a Dumpster in Longdale, Okla. After seven years of constant wearing since then, Shawn sent his RDB, above, back to us for some re-stitching around the brim; once fixed, this trash-to-treasure hat will be bound back to Shawn's waiting head.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not only do we think that's a really cool story, but Shawn’s much-beloved hat turns out to be one of our very first, a literal prototype, from 2008, with an oversized logo on the side; we're not even sure if we would have sold that to anyone. So how it ended up in Oklahoma, we'll never know ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> And then there's the phenomenal story recently emailed to us, also from an RDB-wearing Sean, the scuba guy immediately above:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>"I am from Pinedale, WY and often go scuba diving in the clear mountain lakes we have here. This past Sunday, I was diving at about 30 feet in Fremont Lake when I saw something that didn't belong. As I swam over to the irregular shape lying on the bottom among the rocks, I was surprised to find this RDB hat. I picked it up and put it on my head and immediately started to surface. It dried beautifully and one would never know it had (been lying) in the bottom of a mountain lake for who knows how long.<br /><br />Inside the crown, you make the claim that you can do nothing to this hat that hasn't already been done. I would bet that this is the only RDB hat that has laid on the bottom of a mountain glacier lake at an elevation of almost 8000' and been recovered to be worn again. Only the hat knows for sure.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />A big thank you to the person who was unfortunate enough to lose this great hat."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, a big thank you from us, to these two guys for sharing these stories!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-58324524084473217732013-07-18T15:33:00.000-04:002013-07-18T16:34:45.555-04:00National Nude Day 2013: Several days late, and a couple of coconuts short ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">OK, for those of you who got here from Facebook, you
can't say we didn't tell you what to expect. Coconuts. Actual coconuts.<br /><br />Though truth be told, those really are some oddly shaped palm fruits, huh? Not that we're the kind of people to judge or anything ...<br /><br />We've posted this picture in a slightly belated homage to National Nude Day, July 14. We missed this year's celebration entirely, not knowing such a day even existed, wandering around as we were amid all those other folks with their clothes on.<br /><br />But we have faith these two island naturalists were naked that day, if they knew said celebration in honor of shedding clothes existed.<br /><br />We're pretty sure the guy in our hat is Chester Elizondo of San Antonio,
Texas, one of our longtime favorite RDB wild men. No clue on the identity of
his buddy, though the two are seen, almost in their entirety here, in Puerto Rico, where Chet has gotten into plenty of
Real Deal mischief in the past.<br /><br />His April 2011 "exploration adventure" to
several different Puerto Rican beaches, involving much "sun, surf, rum and
fun," produced what may be our favorite photo explanation of all time, for the below cockeyed-hat shot he sent us back then:</span></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />"Ya’ll make one hell of a hat. I swam in that
thing…buried it in the sand..stuffed it in my back pack…had sex in it…filled it
with ice and used it as a small ice chest….at one point it was my loin cloth
while I chased a chicken naked down the beach (not sure how I ended up
naked…and the chicken was very very fast)…"</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />Notice any kind of pattern here? We're thinking it's probably pretty nakedly obvious ...</span></span></div>
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-6881897312998327322013-06-16T10:00:00.000-04:002013-06-16T11:55:43.052-04:00Our hats on to Real Deal dads this Father's Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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{page:Se</style><span style="font-family: Arial;">Longtime RDB pal Darin Gagne
of Manchester, N.H., leads us all by example. So, to you fellow Real Deal dads
out there: Rattle the bars on your cage today! Yawp your barbaric yawp! Do
something that, if found out, will perplex and unsettle everyone who knows you!
Real Deal it up and straight back down again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">You have our express
permission to run amok today… right up until that point where you decide to
call us for bail money. Because don’t waste that one phone call, is all we’re
sayin’; we’ll simply pretend we’ve never heard of you, and then hang up
suddenly. It’s our money, after all, and we intend to squander it on ourselves
in Vegas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Of course, you could just
call Darin here instead. Cuz obviously, his example is what led you astray in
the first place …</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy Father’s Day!</span></div>
The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-13666569550472534862013-06-11T10:51:00.000-04:002013-06-11T10:51:33.889-04:00Team Tallahassee rides again, with Real Deal Brazil sponsorhip, and RDB hats in tow!
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJUfhSfPJDOcbYFdVt3zX8ul8WRf_Vh__HoPL4n697tVsyi9RbMdyYlIGUbgcO9Oxs7_4lOo9DID6ilddU9uXuallin-lAhHsvfKaZXA-6fd6Ru3oygSh1RMAYRC9qaGdUaIbKC7za8ZF/s1600/13+-+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJUfhSfPJDOcbYFdVt3zX8ul8WRf_Vh__HoPL4n697tVsyi9RbMdyYlIGUbgcO9Oxs7_4lOo9DID6ilddU9uXuallin-lAhHsvfKaZXA-6fd6Ru3oygSh1RMAYRC9qaGdUaIbKC7za8ZF/s400/13+-+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whoot, there we are! The Real Deal Brazil: proud sponsors of Team Tallahassee.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Sometimes, you’ve just gotta break your own rules.<br /><br />We recently gave a modest sum toward Real Deal Brazil mega-fan
Greg Bickford’s participation in Rally New England, a 1,200-mile fundraising
drive supporting the nonprofit Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. This idyllic
lakeside getaway for children battling life-threatening diseases, and for their
immediate families, doesn’t charge people to stay, and includes onsite medical
and psychological support.<br /><br />The Real Deal Brazil is a small company, and we’ve had to make
it our policy that we don’t do cash donations; it’s simply not something we can
routinely afford. Yet with Greg, this is actually the second year in a row
we’ve broken our own rule on that! Because how could we not? Greg is such a
huge fan of the Real Deal brand, promoting us at every turn. And we’re big fans
of his own efforts to turn his free time into a, no pun intended, vehicle for
helping others.<br /><br />Rally New England drivers start their trek July 22 in upstate
New York, winding up four days later in New Brunswick, Canada. Each of the
participating 85-plus cars is a team of two or more people. Last year, Greg’s
Team Tallahassee – named for his current hometown in Florida, and maybe even a
little for his love of “all things <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zombieland</i>”
– was filled out by his brother, Chris; this year, Greg’s dad, Richard, is
handling co-pilot duties.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G4-juVhcI7yt2fnqLxrEJRIWqcDKKAkvqJsztz1qM5TdcrHuXyJxJQDDQyQ_69uPs-hiHV8WLsc1lrQDWp_gQYlGSKnGAI44n4iWRnHX1RXHYpxUlso_XC6TqkcM98APQuFPZd3-MHEC/s1600/Team+Tallahassee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G4-juVhcI7yt2fnqLxrEJRIWqcDKKAkvqJsztz1qM5TdcrHuXyJxJQDDQyQ_69uPs-hiHV8WLsc1lrQDWp_gQYlGSKnGAI44n4iWRnHX1RXHYpxUlso_XC6TqkcM98APQuFPZd3-MHEC/s400/Team+Tallahassee.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg Bickford, right, and dad Richard, with their pre-sponsor-stickered Mustang GT: Team Tallahassee.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">And again this year, Team Tallahassee is driving Greg’s black
2010 Ford Mustang GT, with a big white RDB logo to be prominently displayed on
it, alongside those of other sponsors. But the Real Deal Brazil will be there
in more than just logo: Greg and his dad will also be sporting our hats along
the way.<br /><br />Last year, Team Tallahassee rode in Rally Dixie 2012, a
1,300-mile fundraising drive supporting the national nonprofit Accelerated Cure
Project for Multiple Sclerosis.<br /><br />We’re not suggesting you should donate to Camp Sunshine via
Greg’s team; this email is just an FYI of what we’re up to, and to say how
proud we are to be even a tiny part of Greg’s efforts. But should you wanna check
out Team Tallahassee’s fundraising site –
https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/team-tallahassee/rallynewengland –
y’know, that would be mighty cool, too.</span></div>
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-56525609564844182822013-05-23T14:15:00.001-04:002013-05-23T14:15:39.506-04:00'You guys make the best hat ... In the World!' <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv__giNcS5aqkykr0YWBE3AtMJyB-Dycd8_bjPl5YFaAQcfzowtJz7fLWW6q3ol6Fmf9k0ReEvmydauGz0adxj5QmnEvqen4AB7QXpnI9P2gXpKpN0knFwxidsVddEtKjwlmey-es5xZuJ/s1600/382467_4052292194408_160539825_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv__giNcS5aqkykr0YWBE3AtMJyB-Dycd8_bjPl5YFaAQcfzowtJz7fLWW6q3ol6Fmf9k0ReEvmydauGz0adxj5QmnEvqen4AB7QXpnI9P2gXpKpN0knFwxidsVddEtKjwlmey-es5xZuJ/s400/382467_4052292194408_160539825_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />"The best hat ... In the World." Well, OK, then<span style="font-size: small;">!</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Sometimes we just have to share the nice stuff that people say. </span></span>And Real Deal Brazil fan Nathan Cantu of Lynchburg, Va., who sent <span style="font-size: small;">us an email with that very same declar<span style="font-size: small;">ation of our awesomeness </span>in the subject line, also included this</span>:<br /><br /><i>"I love my RDB Hat! After my first summer working at a camp in Texas, I knew I needed a decent hat, but can't rock the classic Texas Stetson. A friend recommended the RDB hat, and after I realized it was "The Zombieland Hat" I knew I needed one of my own. It's stayed with me through the whole summer, and kept me cool in the sun, and dry in the rain! I love it! I attached a picture </i>(above)<i> of four of us at camp all geared up to go to battle with the camp property. During yardwork on a 100+ degree day, this hat was a God send! ...<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks again for making a great hat!"</span></span> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">T<span style="font-size: small;">he Real Deal Brazil. Not <span style="font-size: small;">that we're brag<span style="font-size: small;">gin<span style="font-size: small;">' or nothin' ... </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-11381251012144314822013-05-15T14:46:00.002-04:002013-05-15T14:46:44.586-04:00Real Deal Brazil hats go places, and do great things!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5t4bRag4SFX0TTNcqSA7oYDfJbrcyyxRDJThpe0udKSpXml-321Pg2hQIvUy5ya3JO_N-N9ZIoDgnae0ZMcWTMP3ncH0T6J9Kqg8AqLZrYPqroXTcgpvp2GFukPbT2DtZAjCoK824PYE/s1600/rdb+guatamala.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5t4bRag4SFX0TTNcqSA7oYDfJbrcyyxRDJThpe0udKSpXml-321Pg2hQIvUy5ya3JO_N-N9ZIoDgnae0ZMcWTMP3ncH0T6J9Kqg8AqLZrYPqroXTcgpvp2GFukPbT2DtZAjCoK824PYE/s400/rdb+guatamala.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Serving meals to the homeless at a regional dump in rural Zacapa, Guatemala.</span></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A lot of phenomenal folks are out there doing their Real Deal best to make the world a better place, with our hat proudly tagging along for the ride. And that fact <span style="font-size: small;">just </span>makes us grin, knowing we’re aiding in a tiny bit of the good, even if only by association<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />That said, meet Real Deal Brazil hat owner and middle-school teacher Greg Crow of Charlottesville, Va.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Back in January, Greg took a trip to Zacapa, Guatemala, with 22 fellow parishioners from his church, The Point Church of Charlottesville. With help from Virginia faith-based humanitarian agency World Help (http://worldhelp.net), Greg’s group adopted a village, population 700, in this mostly rural area at the southeastern end of the country.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />His group plans to help the village for the next few years with everything from clean water to food, education and more.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />“We will assist them with their physical needs,” Greg wrote us, in sending the pictures you see here, “as well as minister to their spiritual needs.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rLMRO_r-dqtEmNOlsU8tiEpccGd_IVc7JjJpdw8rdFxeKqSAlWKnHhtUype-l4CQPohCSoL7Gil0OQhD-c92yB0JxUnuc1UTjevZ5oLkb70ttrCArFd62bFaXmYyl5Fzk7glg5rI9ug_/s1600/rdb+baby.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rLMRO_r-dqtEmNOlsU8tiEpccGd_IVc7JjJpdw8rdFxeKqSAlWKnHhtUype-l4CQPohCSoL7Gil0OQhD-c92yB0JxUnuc1UTjevZ5oLkb70ttrCArFd62bFaXmYyl5Fzk7glg5rI9ug_/s400/rdb+baby.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feeding a child at a </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Zacapa</span></span></b> orphanage.</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I have traveled all over our planet doing similar work,” Greg added, “and have never seen poor and starving children like this. We ended up feeding children at (a) regional dump, because of the overwhelming need there. We couldn't just drive by (after seeing them there<span style="font-size: small;">), </span>and leave them with nothing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />“In fact, it was such an overwhelming trip that my wife and I are leading a (church) team back there in August.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Want to learn more about Greg and his church’s efforts in Zacapa? They have a Facebook page; search <i>Village Project Guatemala</i>.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv-flR3uIGpKSQdQZfzqIHMqZFz_zGmvy_5UwSJW_F99X337U9RWTNSU7w7UxqMv9GrHYFTptBjmjHDkmBELV5x1-RnCDCoGXCft1xVQih9Ejxa9pVASkYrxO1JYVo92fArRGniInS3Bb/s1600/rdb+Cement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv-flR3uIGpKSQdQZfzqIHMqZFz_zGmvy_5UwSJW_F99X337U9RWTNSU7w7UxqMv9GrHYFTptBjmjHDkmBELV5x1-RnCDCoGXCft1xVQih9Ejxa9pVASkYrxO1JYVo92fArRGniInS3Bb/s400/rdb+Cement.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sifting riverbed rocks and sand to make concrete for a <span style="font-size: x-small;">Zaca<span style="font-size: x-small;">pa home-</span></span>building project.</span></b></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-64550739007497655712013-04-22T10:26:00.002-04:002013-04-22T10:27:57.383-04:00Earth Day is our day, too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4tzhUgqthPJEBdSkYtahIqyKipp0qgiJPhu4jEUSjgcmNNxXcGBMR1DjQAwk2Hczv38dg81eG3a_LJdSpSjnGNDs0KBz7rQDQ85ORrkdL1o0yQwQ_BcPIZqpnWCast27HuQ48R4AzqgW/s1600/Tijuca+Peak+Brazil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4tzhUgqthPJEBdSkYtahIqyKipp0qgiJPhu4jEUSjgcmNNxXcGBMR1DjQAwk2Hczv38dg81eG3a_LJdSpSjnGNDs0KBz7rQDQ85ORrkdL1o0yQwQ_BcPIZqpnWCast27HuQ48R4AzqgW/s400/Tijuca+Peak+Brazil.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Hello from near the top of the bottom of the world!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">That’s Justin Cranmer, above, of Tucson, Ariz., wearing his trusty Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat in, yes, Brazil! This spring 2011 shot finds Justin atop Tijuca Peak, which offers a sweeping view of sprawling Rio de Janeiro below. The mountaintop is literally right in the middle of the city.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Justin's verdant travel photo seemed in need of revisiting today, of all days: Nature’s grandeur smack dab in the middle of bustling human life, Brazil, us.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Because today is Earth Day, the day people of every stripe celebrate where we all live, and what we can do to promote continuing to live here. And by here, we mean the <i>big </i>here, the spinning blue-and-green ball of home. The elemental sphere following its set circular path in space, three back from the sun. <i>That</i> here.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Earth Day is all about throwing the world a bone, so to speak. Championing things that can help to preserve what's here, before it's gone and can't be replaced.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So you know Real Deal Brazil products are made from recycled stuff, right? People sometimes forget that, getting all caught up in how we also happen to look mighty freakin’ cool, all rough-and-tumble and Woody Harrelson in <i>Zombieland</i>, and like that. Yet the heart of our signature products is reclaimed old canvas cargo-truck tarps from Brazil, tough and weathered and kind of grizzled, and as unique as you are.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The recycling runs even deeper with us, though: Our classic hats get their shape from strands of heavy wire pulled from landfilled old Brazilian truck tires.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Then there's our hat bands, which include an assortment carved from old coconut shells, or those assembled from trash-bound bottle caps collected from favorite brews.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Reclaimed resources, handmade into resourceful products that look cool enough to forget they're pretty Earth-nifty, too. That, good people, is the Real Deal Brazil!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So we choose to think of today, Earth Day, as a little bit our day as well.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-14459832543768157902013-04-01T09:57:00.002-04:002013-04-22T08:17:47.736-04:00Big, Big Changes to the Real Deal Brazil Brand!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>OK, just in case you stumble on this entry days after it was originally posted, please take a look at the day it was published before reading any further. That should give you a good clue to its seriousness. Or lack thereof ...</i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQXzx5PVzhcZtEIfshHGBiIucwwy8NUkCiPZ5sprYlRjw5WRx1PeSkvh3GtlxfHiVJeXZ6hJl_bx9rYPxLghlmuctDwhE-xsOHC6KtREUBw4rG5tA3Aup-4w_bDM3QrU9F3LUtWwEhnAF/s1600/purple+rdb+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQXzx5PVzhcZtEIfshHGBiIucwwy8NUkCiPZ5sprYlRjw5WRx1PeSkvh3GtlxfHiVJeXZ6hJl_bx9rYPxLghlmuctDwhE-xsOHC6KtREUBw4rG5tA3Aup-4w_bDM3QrU9F3LUtWwEhnAF/s400/purple+rdb+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some <i>huge</i> changes to talk about, folks!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Like so many small businesses, the Real Deal Brazil has had a hellish time in this sluggish economy. Add to that the outrageous spikes in recycled-tarp prices in Brazil, and shipping from the rural center of such a vast and often underdeveloped country, plus the various customs hurdles, which are, honestly, a money-suck, and it’s been really, really hard. And it’s only getting harder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />But we’re still here!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Still, if we’re going to continue past this, then going forward, fundamental changes have gotta take place. It’s that, regrettably, or close our doors. And we aren’t quitters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />After some serious research and lengthy negotiations, we’re finally at the point of transferring production to where we can afford to keep this thing up and running. So, to China we go! Happily, we’ve found a Beijing-area town that specializes in fabric goods and industrial sewing, and a small nationalized company that can take things over immediately, for a reasonable price, even with shipping considerations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The hat photo at top is just a mockup sent by our new sewing company.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fabric is having to change, of course, since they neither have recycled canvas truck tarps in China, at least not for sale, nor can we remotely afford to import them from Brazil. We are, however, very pleased with the fabric change we’ve selected: We think the purple is fantastic! It’s really individual and fun, and fits, we think, the spirit of our brand. The sequins you see in the photo are hopefully within our budget as well, but that detail isn’t set in stone yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Hat style will also shift a bit, to more of a classic fedora a la Indiana Jones, since that’s what they do best there.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />And we won’t have to go up on our hat prices at all!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />All Brazilian product names will stay the same. We don’t want to add any further confusion to the transition.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Bags will likewise be the same new fabric; beyond that, we don’t know yet about the various styles. It’ll all depend on what this company can manage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We’ll start getting new product in soon, and will then start updating realdealbrazil.com. In the meantime, we’ll keep selling the remainders of what we have, until we run out. We wish we could discount the remainders, but honestly, we’re too broke for that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The best of an unfortunate situation. So we hope you can get as excited for these changes as we've become!</span><br />
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-70064200331013244382013-03-08T08:35:00.001-05:002013-03-08T08:35:50.329-05:00Testimonial: A Little Exotic, a Bit Three-Sheets-in-the-Wind, a Trifle Oh-Behave, Yippee!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUmiEJtqTlljpAc7RbD2UlMYZfmzv7Hi0wTEYL7JN69M4ERrE8CXdci5BDwfWF7wfn8fHbmpvtkbvUqg15nlVX-Rjw72EgQzZ7aNekLlGOy27nJZF67fG3D-d_4pRHtFqDw12jaxQCdo4/s1600/bar+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUmiEJtqTlljpAc7RbD2UlMYZfmzv7Hi0wTEYL7JN69M4ERrE8CXdci5BDwfWF7wfn8fHbmpvtkbvUqg15nlVX-Rjw72EgQzZ7aNekLlGOy27nJZF67fG3D-d_4pRHtFqDw12jaxQCdo4/s400/bar+girls.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />At the Real Deal Brazil, we really do get the best
testimonials. That said, this just-received unsolicited review from former
Oregonian Lito Croy, who now lives in Antigua, Guatemala, ranks right on
up there with the one from the Texan who couldn't remember how he'd ended up
naked on a Puerto Rican beach chasing a chicken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lito wrote us:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I figured it was about time to let you know how much
I love my Original RDB hat. Let's just put it this way -- traveling through
Mexico and working as a bartender in Guatemala I have been offered and turned
down high tech gear swaps, muchos drogas, booze, exorbitant amounts of money,
AND a threesome with two VERY attractive Swiss girls in exchange for my
hat. Sometimes I have to drunkenly sprint away from hoards of hat-hungry gringo
tourists just to keep it on my head. Needless to say, it's a good
hat.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How's that for a review? Buy one.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How's that for a review, indeed!</span></div>
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So we asked Lito for a few pictures, since the original
email contained none. Our hero (and really, who doesn't now kinda wanna be this
guy?) sent the two you see here, from some of the Guatemalan bars he's worked
at.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39SvyCy4RbQYYWyBpLgAG86GvHR6YEwp7GcEMGUEHeOup_UXM-PTVhGSxe9UrDdLk2RZav7EDOJlAsSOrNs7noWSvSiGAD0Cu1j3P9Z9UvLK1W6wZjfM1UFvg1zKsIQ3yZw7zURCR16Hx/s1600/hell+ya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39SvyCy4RbQYYWyBpLgAG86GvHR6YEwp7GcEMGUEHeOup_UXM-PTVhGSxe9UrDdLk2RZav7EDOJlAsSOrNs7noWSvSiGAD0Cu1j3P9Z9UvLK1W6wZjfM1UFvg1zKsIQ3yZw7zURCR16Hx/s400/hell+ya.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lito's note that came with the photos:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're very professional.
The (top) photo includes the two Swiss girls previously mentioned. I had some
more great shots but I got too drunk on my birthday
and inadvertently donated my camera to some random Guatemalan. ...I
hope they like looking at pictures of my weed plants.</span></i><!--EndFragment-->
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-6903959925355652442013-02-06T13:27:00.000-05:002013-02-06T13:27:39.056-05:00'Mythbusters' Geek Goddess Kari Byron in Zombie-Killing Real Deal Brazil Recycled-Tarp Hat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fsXBXs_RG27STLXewRezWtd34scIxLx5vqQTaEIYciMeN5uwlnBCg0CNLunwzwRBz7uqDwpZW40MoHKpLE1AlTlRnqnYPWxDqnIDY_FirlFp20wap5OlhPbtcdqcUaliVw1QY1QoJyor/s1600/BB-wxQBCMAA-9iQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fsXBXs_RG27STLXewRezWtd34scIxLx5vqQTaEIYciMeN5uwlnBCg0CNLunwzwRBz7uqDwpZW40MoHKpLE1AlTlRnqnYPWxDqnIDY_FirlFp20wap5OlhPbtcdqcUaliVw1QY1QoJyor/s640/BB-wxQBCMAA-9iQ.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some people we can’t help but wanna see wearing one of our hats. Cuz who can argue with a perfect fit, y'know?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ron Perlman. Johnny Depp. Erica Cerra. That <i>Dirty Jobs</i> guy. And like that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And way up high on that list: Kari Byron, the geekboy dream on <i>Mythbusters, </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Discovery Channel’s veritable nerdfest of brainy coolness</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So late last month, we sent the fiery-haired </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mythbusters </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">host a note and a couple of hats, our compliments. We figured the package would come back to us, wrong address, refused, etc. But then, playing around online today, we stumbled across this Tweet from Kari: </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Just got a Zombie killing hat in the mail! What a great gift! Thanks Real Deal Brazil.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, blush! Our little fanboy hearts goin' boom, boom, boom! Her Tweet, by the way, included the photo you see above. (Can you say: office poster!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s a version of the note we sent Kari, which will bring you up to speed on exactly why we sprang the Real Deal love on her now:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>So when we saw that </i>Mythbusters<i> would be giving the drooling undead their due (in an episode tentatively slated for this spring), we got a little excited. We are, to be fair, a pretty excitable bunch here, though maybe even a little more so when the subject is zombies. Them lifeless brain-munchers been very, very good to us.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you’re unfamiliar with the Real Deal Brazil … (allow us to) sum up: Recycled-truck-tarp hats handmade in rural equatorial Brazil and, most notably for many folks, worn with great aplomb by eco-minded actor Woody Harrelson in </i>Zombieland<i>, in his wildass character’s quest to annihilate the ravenous scourge of rotting meatbags and find spongy yellow snack cakes that might actually have zombie-making-properties all their own.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consequently, our hat routinely surfaces in zombie-centric blogs and forums, and even in documentaries on zombie-this and zombie-that. We have become, you see, the world’s premiere zombie-killing hat. The absence yet of actual zombies does nothing to change that.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, this package (you’ve just received). You folks are doing zombies. We kill-a the zombies. And like that.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Also, as </i>Mythbusters<i> watchers, we are united in the certainty that if there’s one person who would so rock our hat (besides Woody H., of course, and maybe the Queen of England; she’s tougher than she looks), it’s you. Your show’s plans for zombie mythbustin’ finally gave us all the excuse we needed to get mushy and gift-give-y, and send this along. We blushing fanboys do what we must.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve included several hats of different sizes, in hopes one fits you comfortably; Mama always said to never assume a woman’s head-size. We’re confident you can find willing noggins for the others. …</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if this package actually reaches you, we hope it becomes the source of much hat-wearing joy, for you, and for anyone else you deem Real Deal enough.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since we’re all so sold here on you wearing an RDB and lovin’ it, should we then never see any evidence to this effect, we’ll just pretend otherwise. Our world makes so much more sense that way.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a great world. Cuz now we don’t even have to pretend!</span></div>
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-9649742721838806612013-01-08T11:16:00.000-05:002013-01-08T11:16:02.626-05:00We're Now Increasingly Up-Top Down Under!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosZ4wX4CuotBdrlLdo71eQ2n4wAnRvlQcF8PtwASnImaVabKKg2ts-X-s18TdSFuZrXrK0AOylLyRe5-yw9Msh3-AmC3Bckspsbhyphenhyphen7HGm7nK84UzMy9D06Exkv2syfwB5bnXB8G4idxwT/s1600/Koala+RDB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosZ4wX4CuotBdrlLdo71eQ2n4wAnRvlQcF8PtwASnImaVabKKg2ts-X-s18TdSFuZrXrK0AOylLyRe5-yw9Msh3-AmC3Bckspsbhyphenhyphen7HGm7nK84UzMy9D06Exkv2syfwB5bnXB8G4idxwT/s320/Koala+RDB.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure what's led to it all of a sudden, but we're
seeing more and more orders from the opposite side of the world, from
Australia, and New Zealand. We love it!<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />That said, here's a recent great note from one of our new
Aussie buddies, James Dean. As in, yes, really, his name's James Dean. That's
not him, above, by the way. We don't have a photo of James right now to share. So, then, things got
kinda silly. Just be glad we couldn't find a shot of a kangaroo we liked is all
we're sayin' ...<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />So this from James, who hails from Cessnock, in New South
Wales:<br /></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Hi guys just wanted to give u a quick rave...first saw ur
hat on woody in zombieland (man good publicity) and decided it was about time
to get me one...in australia its what is known as bloody hot...well i got my
trusty akubra (THE australiam manufacturer of hats...an aussie stetson if u
will) but a man can never have too many hats in this country...well it finally
arrived and...wow...sorry akubra all $160 of you...the tarp hat would have to
be the most comfortable hat i have ever worn...in the bush it is just
fantastic...light comfortable and bulletproof...i can throw in the the back of
the ute and put tools on top of it and when its time to use it
again...perfect...so thanks guys...good for the planet and good for my head and
truly my go to hat for as long as it lasts...a long time i
imagine...outstanding.<br /></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i>The Real Deal Brazil. Increasingly, it's Australian for
cool ...<br /><br /></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-67874472493639694992013-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:002013-01-01T00:36:30.780-05:00A New Year's Shout-Out From the Real Deal Brazil <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The first day of a new year. No better time to stop and
recall all our American brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, son, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends abroad, in service in hostile places, be they members
of the U.S. military, military contractors, support
staff, diplomatic corps, aid workers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So as a never-frequent-enough shout-out today, we share
this just-received message, and these four photos with fun descriptions, from one </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">merican </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">military contractor and his buddy, dedicated Real Deal Brazil fans both, from somewhere
in-country, Afghanistan:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello from Afghanistan!</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />My name is Randy Thackston. After 22 years of Military
service, and my 6th year as a military contractor, I realized I needed
some really tough protection against the elements, and the hazards of War.
After some extensive searching, I discovered the Real Deal Brazil Original Tarp
Hat. I immediately knew I had found the ultimate body-armor! I placed an order
and received it at my Forward Operational Base within 9 days. When my partner
Mike saw my new Original Tarp Hat, he knew that my survivability factor had
increased by 110%, and he realized that the only way to survive over here to
procure one himself. He did just that! Now for us, danger is just another day
in the field. (Well, that’s pretty much every day anyway).</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Thank you so much for the World’s most Awesome Headgear!</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />I’d like to share with you how my partner Mike & I,
with the help of Real Deal Brazil, survived our close call with the End of the
World.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />-- Randy (Freedom) Thackston</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike (Charger) Sircher</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Undisclosed Locations, Afghanistan</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjEZ_cGxNvgBm58w9-DZuI3OB5vfas2uJorLf3TtcpyIJFKlHbGGnNTnRKKPE8bLn1oQCL-d_MalMPTVtK7O1RQTPmyvVB0kGB51g775xmYrW5KnlZ2FyZOQwpyksaDihLCX2P6p4IYt8/s1600/4th+of+July+in+Afghanistan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjEZ_cGxNvgBm58w9-DZuI3OB5vfas2uJorLf3TtcpyIJFKlHbGGnNTnRKKPE8bLn1oQCL-d_MalMPTVtK7O1RQTPmyvVB0kGB51g775xmYrW5KnlZ2FyZOQwpyksaDihLCX2P6p4IYt8/s400/4th+of+July+in+Afghanistan.jpg" width="296" /></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Above, in Randy's words:<i> "As you can see, my RDB
Original Tarp Hat easily provides me with superior protection against the
brutal Afghan sun, so that I can concentrate on more important things like
having some fun on the 4th of July."</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDVghQalA9MBa_IfMaHDH-aq3sgruvG9Klz2hAsYBju1R4vZOMXnKcxMs3a3hdT_xAzz6e4pGniH-NOZYSyEitagRiRfejRzIRb12LUJuY00ARsYRFoLuEcnHRxOjWgeJGb7zqXIbxVQ0/s1600/Getting+ready+for+the+end+of+the+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDVghQalA9MBa_IfMaHDH-aq3sgruvG9Klz2hAsYBju1R4vZOMXnKcxMs3a3hdT_xAzz6e4pGniH-NOZYSyEitagRiRfejRzIRb12LUJuY00ARsYRFoLuEcnHRxOjWgeJGb7zqXIbxVQ0/s400/Getting+ready+for+the+end+of+the+world.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Above, in Randy's words:<i> "Here you can see us
watching the end of the world coming at us with complete confidence that we
will most likely be among the survivors. Thanks to Real Deal Brazil ultimate
head protection, we’ll be around to help repopulate the world. (By the way,
that is 3, yes, 3 tornadoes coming at us, categories F2-F3, several miles
out.)"</i></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8idvTjDTIOLMu45m3w42dXVlB5WHcVQ_QvaDCPjS5DEIGpPHmyNQedY2WylzlzYnjjwRr8wdUR0r5TCCksv2o7V4WZt0usqTmChLAOmtqjdamP4KAaRDk-dwxI3HBgDhp9GSCVWgW3FhQ/s1600/Moments+from+destruction+-+But+we%2527re+covered%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8idvTjDTIOLMu45m3w42dXVlB5WHcVQ_QvaDCPjS5DEIGpPHmyNQedY2WylzlzYnjjwRr8wdUR0r5TCCksv2o7V4WZt0usqTmChLAOmtqjdamP4KAaRDk-dwxI3HBgDhp9GSCVWgW3FhQ/s400/Moments+from+destruction+-+But+we%2527re+covered%2521.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Above, in Randy's words: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Even while facing imminent
annihilation, Tarp Hats securely mounted, we face the end of the world head-on
with confidence. (One F2 tornado nearly on top of us.)"</i><br />
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1B932d_KUfQexjWrx1QI_VcFy_eFDeDW-7KJsA79ss4kmA-LLBErDy_U4x1OJ3Sp9kKkSwp1OyzpY34h0cae8V8VjSp9QoF3_NqQD-haWm1GVXYQdos2q5une1ZPri5AGXMMNUGVOakY/s1600/Real+Deal+Brazil+Body+Armor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1B932d_KUfQexjWrx1QI_VcFy_eFDeDW-7KJsA79ss4kmA-LLBErDy_U4x1OJ3Sp9kKkSwp1OyzpY34h0cae8V8VjSp9QoF3_NqQD-haWm1GVXYQdos2q5une1ZPri5AGXMMNUGVOakY/s400/Real+Deal+Brazil+Body+Armor.png" width="325" /></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Above, in Randy's words:<i> “Can you believe it? I got a
text at the very last minute … Apparently ‘They’ decided to postpone the End Of
The World (again) until 2020. I will be ready, my friends!”</i></span></div>
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-28609942789260035592012-12-28T10:51:00.000-05:002012-12-28T10:58:29.091-05:00'Ripping Frosty's Head in Two': Another Real Deal Brazil Gift-Success Story!<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Not sure which we've enjoyed more, the photo, below, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">of </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">new Waco, Texas, Real Deal Brazil owner/fan Jeffrey Piht Bull Quintavalle </span>and his darling young daughter<i>, </i>dwarfed under daddy's great, big hat, or Piht Bull's </span>killer just-got-an-RDB-for-Christmas note, a little further below. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL7ooLR0NGaw48lkW_eOIFKBve_4tHCVfBHAINLWSK29t8on54tSlRzfLdEvlmKJhFVQL1NVoM8oseK05AoUvVHTpKz6uIUDIpJLHCZtxACgTMwtba37WfJcVEa9EKHoXC-KoV4LsvOz8/s1600/413878_437301113003893_344538898_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL7ooLR0NGaw48lkW_eOIFKBve_4tHCVfBHAINLWSK29t8on54tSlRzfLdEvlmKJhFVQL1NVoM8oseK05AoUvVHTpKz6uIUDIpJLHCZtxACgTMwtba37WfJcVEa9EKHoXC-KoV4LsvOz8/s400/413878_437301113003893_344538898_o.jpg" width="344" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Piht Bull's note, in its entirety: </span></div>
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</style><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Just got to say something. I have drooled over RDB hats
from the moment I saw Woody's hat in the </i>Zombieland<i> preview. I am a hat guy but
I could never find a hat that was just right. I gave away a $300 felt Stetson
just because it wasn't right. I wanted a certain look and feel. I watched </i>Zombieland<i>
and the hat had the beat up battle-worn look I wanted. So I dreamt of this hat
but could never find the extra cash to get one. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Well Friday the wife and mom
and her partner let me open a gift early. I unwrapped the Santa paper to reveal
a snowman shirt box. My initial reaction was "a shirt?" That’s not
special enough to open this early. So I cracked the tape off of one side and caught
a small shimmer of frayed canvas and stitching. I could not believe it! It was
my RDB hat! I tore open the box ripping Frosty's head in two and pulled out the
most badass hat in the world. Just the right color a few patches that ARE
covering holes. Stains from the beautiful Brazilian weather and probably greasy
military hands.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>This hat I know will outlive me and that’s exactly what I want.
After I’m gone I want grand or great-grand kids to pull it out and remember the
stories I told them about my roller coaster adventurous life. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The only two
modifications I will make is add a hat band I’m making out of random stuff I'll
find in the woods and I’m getting the wife to draw a pit bull on it. I really
want to thank you guys for the amazing work on both sides of the company. My
mom said customer service was amazing and I can see the hard work that went into turning what would be trash to most people into a lifelong work of art I will
wear daily and very proudly state its REAL DEAL BRAZIL when asked. I live in
Texas and I assure you I will be asked daily about my hat. Well I could rattle
all day about this rugged masterpiece so I guess I better cut this off now.<br /><br />Thanks again. I’m a fan for life.</i><br /><br />With fans like Piht Bull, we are indeed conquering the world, one cool head at a time ...<i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-20372068339020299232012-12-22T11:25:00.000-05:002012-12-27T11:29:53.662-05:00So, You’re Still Alive, Huh? Good for You!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO POST 12/22/12, BUT, NADA; CURSES, BLOGGER.COM!)</i></span><br /><br />By now you’ve probably noticed the gas mains not exploding, the absence
of fireballs raining from on high, the extreme lack of streets buckling
and buildings collapsing into rubble. Also, a plane has utterly failed
to fall on your boss and the ocean hasn’t risen up and swallowed the
coast of California whole.<br /><br />Mayan Apocalypse? End of Days?
12/21/2012? Meh. We’re all still here, and still very much alive,
including your boss, that bastard.<br /><br />So congrats to you on, y’know,
not dying. In fact, here’s a snazzy personalized trophy from all of us
at the Real Deal Brazil, to commemorate how pleased we are that you
aren’t toast. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrjQzTEAgeVVPJVkRaVt5aRFxx61Nh1Wr-eqg86y1sTsR5VXKAutDfpL2opJCtxoDgwPqPhEGEhCxiedzNWElovihRQq6-LAuPb1U037CINk1L0Qrwj6xxjG1R2lfY0by74tCLX_KLxQL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-20+at+3.12.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrjQzTEAgeVVPJVkRaVt5aRFxx61Nh1Wr-eqg86y1sTsR5VXKAutDfpL2opJCtxoDgwPqPhEGEhCxiedzNWElovihRQq6-LAuPb1U037CINk1L0Qrwj6xxjG1R2lfY0by74tCLX_KLxQL/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-12-20+at+3.12.35+PM.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feel free to print it out and tape it to your wall, a reminder of your own continued existential success. And, really, no need to thank us – you and everyone else earned it!<br /><br />There are definite downsides to this dearth of cataclysm, of course: You few straight guys who might have made it through the staggering destruction and unprecedented loss of life won’t now be able to swagger up to any post-apocalyptic hotties and say, “It’s our responsibility to repopulate the Earth; we owe it to humanity!” and have that line possibly work for ya.<br /><br />Still, it’s better to focus on the positive here: Not only are you, dear reader, not resoundingly deceased, but you’re also not careening around in smoldering ruins with one leg snapped in half and your head on fire. Great, right? And that’s not even to mention that terrific trophy we just gave ya!<br /><br />Sometimes, when a widely publicized apocalypse fails to happen, it’s the little things that make it tolerable.<br /><br />Speaking of which: Us! The Real Deal Brazil! We’re not only still also among the living, but still also the bestest hat to have if ever TS truly does HTF (didn’t get that? Think: a fan, some hitting, and poop). Because the next pending apocalypse typically is just around the corner …<br /><br /> Personally, we’re hoping it will include zombies.<br /></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-14739981228246481902012-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:002012-12-14T00:54:50.657-05:00What Hat Will You Wear to the 12/21 Apocalypse?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj77L7felINpUYADMgYOZVU59BApzkfROjuYr6xZs3YXuJqJ3YNdWxlLEDHo1dq_H9rnqjVQgVDMbN83tFodZPKZoEToWU_kiSQGIQsI1YMh1AH-HNzdPq71ER1HDrECcXWMOk74XwgNtW/s1600/RDB+world+end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj77L7felINpUYADMgYOZVU59BApzkfROjuYr6xZs3YXuJqJ3YNdWxlLEDHo1dq_H9rnqjVQgVDMbN83tFodZPKZoEToWU_kiSQGIQsI1YMh1AH-HNzdPq71ER1HDrECcXWMOk74XwgNtW/s1600/RDB+world+end.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dec. 21. One week from now. That’s it. Boom.<br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGyjz9UUvLZ3PYV8OddPd4oDPaimF7jR2155h4Zu5JHvPq4J8gDtUTEBQUGl2sHHuAUJGlrMXhcrZAwzcNZzi9Xa3V8P28bHhugirPk5RhvzLwpaEyJVyk2-duN9V6M6Utr4z7NQwl0XF/s1600/twinkies1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGyjz9UUvLZ3PYV8OddPd4oDPaimF7jR2155h4Zu5JHvPq4J8gDtUTEBQUGl2sHHuAUJGlrMXhcrZAwzcNZzi9Xa3V8P28bHhugirPk5RhvzLwpaEyJVyk2-duN9V6M6Utr4z7NQwl0XF/s200/twinkies1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earthquakes, Volcanoes. Tidal waves. Tornados. Hurricanes. Cities in flames. California plummeting into the sea. Also, an end to the Twinkies, though that was gonna happen anyway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just in case you haven’t been keeping up with the Facebook posts from that one creepy-intense guy from high school who always said the moon landings were faked, it’s simple: The Mayan calendar is about to run out, so we’re all gonna die. And no doubt wretchedly, which is generally regarded as the worst way to die.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is the very faintest chance you’ll live. John Cusack did in that movie <i>2012</i>, and yet his career’s kinda been in the toilet for a while now. Which means there’s gotta be some hope for at least a few of us, right?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPKf3f5AXUmbMQUrOjPhKQdWN-5rJqd0j5fD2kAPfG9yQHeg4I0xqvJ_uUUr53wvKmTndCwPVEVS_bei5bDyT_S3qYDkFziamUTC3OIp-2Dz9i9C4NQ0vF16O_B3N9eYw3KKyhrD8mzV0/s1600/ragtag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPKf3f5AXUmbMQUrOjPhKQdWN-5rJqd0j5fD2kAPfG9yQHeg4I0xqvJ_uUUr53wvKmTndCwPVEVS_bei5bDyT_S3qYDkFziamUTC3OIp-2Dz9i9C4NQ0vF16O_B3N9eYw3KKyhrD8mzV0/s400/ragtag.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Potential ragtag band of survivors. Lucky for humanity, all are wearing RDB hats.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if you end up among the ragtag band of survivors entrusted with repopulating the planet, you won’t have the luxury of being dumb. You’re gonna need a good hat. Life in a post-apocalyptic hellscape is a whole lot better with a good hat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So choose wisely, would-be-survivor. Choose wisely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-3284323369087485172012-12-13T11:06:00.000-05:002012-12-13T11:06:14.246-05:00Hat Terrific, but Please: No 'Ripe Oyster' Smell<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We get the greatest notes and letters. So we give you, in full, this one from eastern North Carolina resident Tracy Sanderson, about her husband, Kevin, the guy in the photo below:<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Dear Real Deal Brazil,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXqmthgxLmlgVHM1nc1cXjGAaTA9iU-E3CJkGm9cvDN-hXpYbCpaqfcfvEQa558vwZA0UWXb0m6uv4IFdSfbddXWmggUQ9PwS2DmhlDP2aqRd4aWiYuMwqPyDkVHo7Aa16smFNn4oppSI/s1600/kevin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXqmthgxLmlgVHM1nc1cXjGAaTA9iU-E3CJkGm9cvDN-hXpYbCpaqfcfvEQa558vwZA0UWXb0m6uv4IFdSfbddXWmggUQ9PwS2DmhlDP2aqRd4aWiYuMwqPyDkVHo7Aa16smFNn4oppSI/s200/kevin.jpg" width="170" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Today, my husband came home from work telling me about a hat that he had found ... in the river. I thought this was a little strange, seeing that my husband works for the North Carolina Department of Transportation ... and normally works on roads ... not on rivers. My water loving husband proceeded to tell me his hat tale. He had parked the machine he was running and was taking his lunch break. He decided to walk along the rivershore to 'see what he could see.' It was at Adams Creek, which also serves as part of the Intercoastal Waterway (in North Carolina). This body of water is part of my husband's favorite shrimping waters. The tide was out and he was looking along the rivershore when he spotted what looked like a hat. He was concerned that there might be a body along the rivershore that went with the hat. But back in the summer, he and his buddy were out shrimping, and Shaun lost his hat that he had gotten in Australia. Kevin thought it would be cool if he had found it."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i>A hint from us: It wasn't the one from Australia! So guess what it was! Oh, guess what it was!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Sorry. We already know the ending, and we're pretty easily excited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Please continue, Tracy:<br /><br /><i>"Kevin is kind of like the seagull from the </i>Little Mermaid<i> ... he will pick up just about anything. Over the years, he has brought home snakes, wallets, boat cushions ... you name it. All of which he has found on the side of the road. Just last week he found a camera bag with marijuina scales, which was turned over to the authorities. Today, it was a hat covered with mud and river algae. After bringing it home and power-washing it, he discovered the label on the inside that proclaimed it to be a Real Deal Brazil canvas hat. We looked up your website (www.RealDealBrazil.com) and decided to tell you his adventure for the day. <b>We are including a picture, which we wish had scratch and sniff ... so you would be able to smell the 'ripe oyster' smell that is embedded in the hat.</b>" </i>(Emphasis is ours; we just think that's funny!)<i> "Kev says the he sure wouldn't mind if you send him a new one ('xl' he says) ... preferably a non-smelly one. But for now, it will serve as an ornament on the wall of Kev's garage man cave."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i>Oh, and yeah: Kev's absolutely getting a new original Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat from us -- minus, of course, that dreaded ripe-oyster smell. His wife's story is payment enough!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-92223273376067167962012-12-10T13:09:00.000-05:002012-12-10T13:13:26.921-05:00The RDB tarp hat, so you're not SOL WTSHTF<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Owners of Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hats tend to be a mighty resourceful lot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consider </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">amateur-radio operator </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mark Reep of Cherryville, in North Carolina's western piedmont, who shared with us these two shots of his own RDB. The first one, immediately below, is of a very cool hat, if we do say so ourselves, embellished with a nifty homemade hatband made from 20 feet of paracord.<br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfmXDBIXCmPReKdS4F97SOngvAeBIcDZ3j0TA8emrC724wccGNOEUjuPYw_TYF3I4v5A796TILJjKd-l_bSi0P8ncrAmu3NGqnecwQsAZ-AVMpyGfM-t_EJxwXYIlxMpWYhN-3PtGUh8a/s1600/20121204_160433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfmXDBIXCmPReKdS4F97SOngvAeBIcDZ3j0TA8emrC724wccGNOEUjuPYw_TYF3I4v5A796TILJjKd-l_bSi0P8ncrAmu3NGqnecwQsAZ-AVMpyGfM-t_EJxwXYIlxMpWYhN-3PtGUh8a/s400/20121204_160433.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love my hat!" Mark enthused in the note accompanying the pictures. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nonetheless, he felt it needed a bit more individualizing. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which brings us to the second photo, of the back of the same hat, which begins to tell a more involved story ...<br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTwR17fLerGFY4cMd4hZdX503JexKjR9sXGJYcAS2P9-BZGymNYdfF5hXOeU3N-qrezK9oITbIGv-OqPz8_k4HSmG3pNflyFiwzW67A5dx6B4ut6Jbqf2jVSLA-DqLLTaVFomYqRLLgtl/s1600/20121204_160451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTwR17fLerGFY4cMd4hZdX503JexKjR9sXGJYcAS2P9-BZGymNYdfF5hXOeU3N-qrezK9oITbIGv-OqPz8_k4HSmG3pNflyFiwzW67A5dx6B4ut6Jbqf2jVSLA-DqLLTaVFomYqRLLgtl/s400/20121204_160451.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Had to make it mine," Mark explained, "so I added a few things I might need on my adventures."<br /><br />In addition to the homemade paracord hatband (added at least as much for its potential survival benefits as its smart looks), Mark sewed a number of interesting items into the hat itself, under the patches already there. Here's his list: </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A water container and purifying tablets </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fishing line and hooks </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Snare wire Knife </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Signal mirror </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Orange tape </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whistle </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Safety pins </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magnesium fire stick </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$20</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, as you can see a bit more readily, Mark also clipped onto the back of the hat both a compass and a mini-flashlight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I know when TSHTF I better have my hat on!" he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />And assuming Mark knows how to use all the stuff he's integrated into his RDB, then we reckon we wanna be hanging with him if ever things really do go to straight to hell!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469546800273031433.post-48717925515865293242012-12-07T11:34:00.001-05:002012-12-07T11:34:21.963-05:00The Real Deal Brazil Reaches New Heights
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Real Deal Brazil owner Jeff Walters, from Atlantic Beach,
Fla., but now based in Costa Rica, last year set out on one of the greatest,
most intense, vacation treks you can take -- and he was nice enough to send us
some pictures of his favorite hat and him, up there in the sky! As in
the great sky city of the lost Inca empire. The heights of Machu Picchu.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Machu Picchu is, in fact, both the name of a peak in the Andes Mountains,
and of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">one of the Seven Wonders of the World, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the abandoned Inca city that holds some of the most impressive ruins on
the planet, a 15th-century fortress 7,970 feet above sea level. Way up
there where the thin air can make you fall-down sick if you're not used to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two photos that follow show Jeff reaching the end of
his journey. It's day four along the fabled Inca Trail, which takes
ambitious travelers through everything from cloud
forest to alpine tundra, passing through settlements and even tunnels, and offering views of a number of Incan ruins
along the way up, up, up, before ending at the fabled Sun Gate on Machu
Picchu Mountain.<br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UZrFWOLEo6wwM6rwCwACFsa-W2AomG8T00gAFKl3M_2aoGM_IJPcAPDjnT3Eji89Si7FPeyam1Pcs2VCDnUSdBSzzongqwkD0jVeDXgiii83nOO0vaJIfK2Hs3QCoAJA9R-MZ8VRjD8a/s1600/RDB1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UZrFWOLEo6wwM6rwCwACFsa-W2AomG8T00gAFKl3M_2aoGM_IJPcAPDjnT3Eji89Si7FPeyam1Pcs2VCDnUSdBSzzongqwkD0jVeDXgiii83nOO0vaJIfK2Hs3QCoAJA9R-MZ8VRjD8a/s1600/RDB1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ZZ15GFaZoKr6J-_1LLxE2ivvEKJL1ExsRyy5Lyh23RNLQB2gL1mPSNDFIUAftsRa0r-I02EEO28g3ZP0TEfqxkU9QbPI81VlCfre_YB79XctzDOSEIGjGfL_QfVlHn96vd9HwiGm7Ad/s1600/RDB2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ZZ15GFaZoKr6J-_1LLxE2ivvEKJL1ExsRyy5Lyh23RNLQB2gL1mPSNDFIUAftsRa0r-I02EEO28g3ZP0TEfqxkU9QbPI81VlCfre_YB79XctzDOSEIGjGfL_QfVlHn96vd9HwiGm7Ad/s1600/RDB2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The photo below is during a day tour through plateau tundra on horseback.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FklCEHmFy1SAahnWbdgUbkE59b4sKZQmXeRWVJHZ_5HFF9sVleI-TIK-HEQ0DD22ZJgC8IMh7eDZCsbg8jNv-3sb5SYYxWEx19pOZrkgxOUNGrfb3uSzCsgMl5PFfDAzjaOA2LZvPVqm/s1600/RDB3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FklCEHmFy1SAahnWbdgUbkE59b4sKZQmXeRWVJHZ_5HFF9sVleI-TIK-HEQ0DD22ZJgC8IMh7eDZCsbg8jNv-3sb5SYYxWEx19pOZrkgxOUNGrfb3uSzCsgMl5PFfDAzjaOA2LZvPVqm/s1600/RDB3.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're damn pleased to have made the journey with you, Jeff! So very, very cool.</span></span></div>
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The Real Deal Brazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02891955014091159118noreply@blogger.com1